Rolling Stone's 15 Worst Albums By Great Bands

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http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/05/14/rolling-stones-15-worst-albums-by-great-bands/

5/14/07

You guys went to town this weekend, nominating your picks for worst albums ever released by undeniably awesome bands. We put your nominations together with ours and came up with this definitive list of the fifteen most worthy. Check it out below.

1. Bob Dylan, “Down In the Groove”
2. Rolling Stones, “Dirty Work”
3. David Bowie, “Tonight
4. Van Morrison, “Beautiful Vision”
5. The Clash, “Cut the Crap”
6. Neil Young, “Old Ways”
7. Van Halen, “Diver Down”
8. The Who, “Face Dances”
9. Elvis Costello, “Mighty Like A Rose”
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “One Hot Minute”
11. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “American Dream”
12. Aerosmith, “Rock in a Hard Place”
13. Lou Reed, “Mistrial”
14. Morrissey, “Kill Uncle”
15. Led Zeppelin, “Presence”

-- Rolling Stone

― Bee OK, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 23:52 (nineteen years ago)

red hot chili peppers "undeniably awesome"???

― lex pretend, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

presence may be the "worst" but it's still pretty good...a list of embarrassingly bad albums by pretty good artists would be a lot more interesting.

― negotiable, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:04 (nineteen years ago)

hang on, one hot minute is the only good thing they've ever done.

― the next grozart, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

I'd love to see the three and a half star reviews they originally gave all these.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:07 (nineteen years ago)

ned otm

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

except i actually don't want to see them!

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:11 (nineteen years ago)

Lex.....otm!!!!

― Frogman Henry, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:15 (nineteen years ago)

not a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers either as they remind me of KROQ too much. They were, however, the only "Rock" band at the Grammy's this last year so maybe i'm missing out.

I know the Smiths inside and out but never cared to get into Morrissey solo stuff apparently i'm missing out on that as well.

the Beatles aren't on here so Led Zeppelin shouldn't make the list either, on second thought it is Rolling Stone so they had to throw them in even if it was number 15.

― Bee OK, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:18 (nineteen years ago)

Presence sticks out on that list like a sore thumb.

― Johnny Hotcox, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:28 (nineteen years ago)

1. Bob Dylan, “Down In the Groove” = 2 stars
2. Rolling Stones, “Dirty Work”
3. David Bowie, “Tonight”
4. Van Morrison, “Beautiful Vision” = 4 stars
5. The Clash, “Cut the Crap”
6. Neil Young, “Old Ways”
7. Van Halen, “Diver Down” = 2 stars
8. The Who, “Face Dances”
9. Elvis Costello, “Mighty Like A Rose” = 3 stars
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “One Hot Minute” = 4 stars
11. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “American Dream” = 2 stars
12. Aerosmith, “Rock in a Hard Place” = 2 stars
13. Lou Reed, “Mistrial”
14. Morrissey, “Kill Uncle” = 2 stars
15. Led Zeppelin, “Presence”

― musically, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:44 (nineteen years ago)

one hot minute is the only good thing they've ever done.

Well.. most interesting, at least, by far.

And Presence's presence on this list is absurd.

― bassace, Thursday, 17 May 2007 00:45 (nineteen years ago)

hah at least all old white guys make the worst music, too

― deej, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

I don't really get what is wrong with Diver Down. It is really more of a EP padded out with a couple of guitar instrumentals, but what is there is about as good as the rest of the Roth Van Halen records.

If they really wanted to tag on Van Halen, they should have put that one with Gary Cherone.

― earlnash, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:22 (nineteen years ago)

I've said for years that Dirty Work is a great album, so fuck'em.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:26 (nineteen years ago)

both morrissey and elvis costello have made much worse albums than those.

― akm, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:27 (nineteen years ago)

(maladjusted and goodbye cruel world, to start with)

― akm, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:27 (nineteen years ago)

one hot minute ??? what the fuck.

― pisces, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:29 (nineteen years ago)

my friends are so depressed :-(

― latebloomer, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:32 (nineteen years ago)

On the other hand, Mistrial and Down in the Groove are pretty dire. Who cares though? RS should fucking grow up and run essays defending them (right -- the original 3-star reviews did the trick already).

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 17 May 2007 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

I will always defend _Down in the Groove_ for the two ace trad-folk covers at the end, but it is a collection of leftovers. And I also remember the four-star review for _Beautiful Vision_ in '82.

― Jeff Wright, Thursday, 17 May 2007 02:47 (nineteen years ago)

Much as I love the guy, I think the case could be made for about a third of Lou Reed's entire solo career qualifying for that list. I guess maybe Mistrial is the worst of the worst, though The Raven comes close, too.

― novaheat, Thursday, 17 May 2007 02:58 (nineteen years ago)

I'll admit that I don't really know much past OU812 but I'm right at positive that VH have done worse than Diver Down.

― will, Thursday, 17 May 2007 03:23 (nineteen years ago)

or what earlnash said.

― will, Thursday, 17 May 2007 03:24 (nineteen years ago)

I've said for years that Dirty Work is a great album, so fuck'em.

Absolutely. I'd have gone for Steel Wheels or Goat's Head Soup. And what about {i}Self-Portrait{/i] or Dylan? Or Journey Through the Past? Or Hard Nose the Highway? It's just like their greatest LPs list, it leans too heavily on recent stuff.

― AKA Mr. Jaq, Thursday, 17 May 2007 05:15 (nineteen years ago)

I really liked One Hot Minute when it came out. I mean to call it the worst record ever by a band whose previous records included an ode to Magic Johnson and a song called "Party On Your Pussy?"

By The Way is so, so much worse!

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Thursday, 17 May 2007 05:26 (nineteen years ago)

No love for Old Ways?

Also, Presence, Kill Uncle, and Dirty Work all have moments of goodness.

The rest are pretty spot on, for RS

― Manalishi, Thursday, 17 May 2007 05:33 (nineteen years ago)

one hot minute is the only rhcp's album i remember liking.

― funny farm, Thursday, 17 May 2007 05:39 (nineteen years ago)

Mighty Like A Rose had its moments. North is EC's real stinker.

― mike t-diva, Thursday, 17 May 2007 09:23 (nineteen years ago)

3. David Bowie, “Tonight

for Loving the Alien alone this entry is wrong.

― mark e, Thursday, 17 May 2007 09:50 (nineteen years ago)

I'd love to see the three and a half star reviews they originally gave all these.

BUSTED! the classic rolling stone trope is to give a positive review -- or inflate grade/add hedges to a mixed review -- and then when the artist's next album gets a four-star review the critic refers to 'the disappointing/difficult last album" banking on short memory spans.

― m coleman, Thursday, 17 May 2007 10:00 (nineteen years ago)

still some editorial munchkin probably spent sleepless nights worrying that jann wenner would see the stones listed there (gulp)

― m coleman, Thursday, 17 May 2007 10:02 (nineteen years ago)

'the disappointing/difficult last album"

Or the reverse: Like how Teenage Fanclub got album of the year from Spin, who then kept apologizing for completely missing Nevermind.

Or the 'been there, done that' effect: 'Album of the Year' was so boring and old to critics, even though it actually sounds pretty good to me.

― humansuit, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:29 (nineteen years ago)

goddess in the doorway

― negotiable, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:04 (nineteen years ago)

till some editorial munchkin probably spent sleepless nights worrying that jann wenner would see the stones listed there (gulp)

Yes, but it's ok in this instance cuz Mick told Jann himself that Undercover and Dirty Work were "not special."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:06 (nineteen years ago)

The "Diver Down" thing is flat out ridiculous.

― Bill Magill, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:18 (nineteen years ago)

At least Mistrial makes a change from M*t*l M*ch*n* M*s*c!

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

Rule #1: Rolling Stone is always wrong.

― billstevejim, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

I'd love to see the three and a half star reviews they originally gave all these.

Or five stars, in the case of It's Hard.

― The Deacon, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

Beautiful Vision?
WTF???

― Jazzbo, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:38 (nineteen years ago)

Presence does not belong.

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 17 May 2007 15:40 (nineteen years ago)

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:09 (nineteen years ago)

billstevejim: OTM

Leave it to Rolling Stone to completely fuck up a list of the worst. The magazine can't do anything right. Now, granted, a lot of what's on that list is not a career highlight for those groups. But what would have taken real balls would have been to pick LPs that have been Rolling Stone-endorsed, or are considered classics by rote, and written about how they actually aren't as good as y'all remember. That would have beet a bit gutsy. This is just a dull Beavis & Butthead joke ("Huh huh. This sucks.")

― MC, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:22 (nineteen years ago)

But what would have taken real balls would have been to pick LPs that have been Rolling Stone-endorsed, or are considered classics by rote, and written about how they actually aren't as good as y'all remember.

It might have taken real balls, but it'd also be completely wrong, and a piece of pissing off people just to piss them off. Obviously, an album doesn't get into the canon without a reason.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

And, yes, some of the canon albums may be overrated. But none of them are the worst the artist ever released.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

BAN GEIR

― deej, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:25 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not saying that canon albums are "officially" the worst they've put out. I'm saying a case can be made against them. Like a mock debate or something. I certainly think Van Morrison made a turn for suckitude from Them to "Astral Weeks." Likewise, Metallica from "And Justice for All" to "Metallica". Most people will think that's crap, but the case can be made brotha!

― MC, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:31 (nineteen years ago)

Taking another band from that list--it's just way too obvious and safe to choose Aerosmith's "Rock in a Hard Place" as its worst. Well, duh, losing your two guitarists can do that to a band. But doesn't "Pump" suck just as much, even though it was paired with "Permanent Vacation" as a major comeback?

― MC, Thursday, 17 May 2007 19:43 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not saying that canon albums are "officially" the worst they've put out. I'm saying a case can be made against them.

A case can certainly be made of those "beware of the dog" albums listed in the Rolling Stone list too.

But doesn't "Pump" suck just as much, even though it was paired with "Permanent Vacation" as a major comeback?

Obviously it doesn't, and if it does, there would have been no comeback.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 20:16 (nineteen years ago)

Pump is great! And Permanent Vacation is far worse than Done with Mirrors

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Thursday, 17 May 2007 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

Ugh. Can't stand Pump. First, it's like the cartoon version of '70s Aerosmith. Second, "Janie's Got a Gun" has got to be the biggest hit of all time that is just built out of pretty much nothing, just processed drums and vocal grunting. Third: kick horns. 'Nuff said.

― MC, Thursday, 17 May 2007 20:55 (nineteen years ago)

I don't see that. "Jane's Got a Got" has a very obvious dynamic build-up from the start of the verse until the chorus.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 20:59 (nineteen years ago)

Generally, I think those albums Aerosmith released between 1987 and 1993 are their best ever. The 70s stuff sounds a bit too thin, plus the tunes were better in 87-93.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 17 May 2007 21:00 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, but kick horns?!?! If there's any sign that a rock band's run out of ideas, it's adding brass.

― MC, Thursday, 17 May 2007 21:07 (nineteen years ago)

Pump is way too much like a Bryan Adams record, it may have been really popular, but I don't think it touches their 70s records. There are a handful of tracks on Aerosmith's first two comeback records that are like the 70s stuff like Hangman Jury, St. John or the Joe Perry Project cover Let the Music Do the Talking, but they went way too sugar coated
for their own good. I suppose it was smart business, but I didn't like that music.

― earlnash, Thursday, 17 May 2007 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

Pump is way too much like a Bryan Adams record

Like a good Bryan Adams record maybe. Adams wasn't too bad when he was an arena rocker rather than a boring MOR balladeer.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 18 May 2007 01:13 (nineteen years ago)

I strongly disagree regarding "Mighty Like a Rose", which is a GREAT pop album, with great production (although probably not "punk" enough for those who have followed him since the late 70s). His worst album would be one of those two mid 80s albums produced by Langer and Winstanley.

MLAR was certainly better than the self-consciously-covering-all-the-bases approach of spike...and the juliet letters was embarrassing to a disturbing degree. however, the production of MLAR does suffer a bit. just because you have 64 tracks at your disposal doesn't mean you should use ALL of them...or that the end result won't sound claustrophobically muddy.

― Lawrence the Looter, Friday, 18 May 2007 02:10 (nineteen years ago)

Or five stars, in the case of It's Hard.

whenever rolling stone wanted an exclusive interview with a band they gave them an (in this case, especially) absurdly glowing review. they/he (wenner) did the same thing with jagger's goddess in the doorway.

and it's hard is really the who record that should be on this list. face dances is just the blue-note-era wayne shorter record that has joe chambers on drums instead of elvin jones; it's hard is their equivalent of miles davis' the man with the horn, except the who didn't have six years of "retirement" as an excuse.

― Lawrence the Looter, Friday, 18 May 2007 02:15 (nineteen years ago)

omg, i just remembered that i bought IT'S HARD back in the day based on that rolling stone review. FUCK YOU, JANN WENNER!

― gershy, Friday, 18 May 2007 05:05 (nineteen years ago)

and it's hard is really the who record that should be on this list. face dances is just the blue-note-era wayne shorter record that has joe chambers on drums instead of elvin jones; it's hard is their equivalent of miles davis' the man with the horn, except the who didn't have six years of "retirement" as an excuse.

-- Lawrence the Looter, Thursday, May 17, 2007 10:15 PM (Yesterday)

Using slightly obscure jazz knowledge as a reference point to illuminate huge mainstream rockband = I like this guy

― Hurting 2, Friday, 18 May 2007 05:15 (nineteen years ago)

I'd consider Kill Uncle one of Morrissey's better solo albums but admit that's not saying much

And while Tonight was Bowie's first step off a steep cliff it doesn't approach the levels of awfulness that Never Let Me Down reached. "Neighborhood Threat" was actually a decent reclamation, "Blue Jean" an acceptably fun top 10 single, "Loving the Alien" appropriately maudlin. The title track was all kinds of terrible though.

― zaxxon25, Friday, 18 May 2007 11:51 (nineteen years ago)

And while Tonight was Bowie's first step off a steep cliff it doesn't approach the levels of awfulness that Never Let Me Down reached. "Neighborhood Threat" was actually a decent reclamation, "Blue Jean" an acceptably fun top 10 single, "Loving the Alien" appropriately maudlin. The title track was all kinds of terrible though.

i didn't mind "tonight" (though iggy's original version is better). never let me down has its moments (though it isn't that good, either). the real bowie stinkers would be any of the tin machine stuff, or (if we're staying with bowie as bowie), space oddity (which also has ITS moments, but is mostly hippie crap).

as for neil young: the only thing that he did in the 80s that i give a shit about is trans (anyone wanna bet that if this list was produced as recently as 10 years ago that that one would've been the one to get the nod as the worst?). the rest is six-of-one, half-a-dozen-of-the-other (yes, that includes freedom).

― Eisbaer, Friday, 18 May 2007 12:31 (nineteen years ago)

MLAR was certainly better than the self-consciously-covering-all-the-bases approach of spike

"Spike" is great too. It started a great second coming of Costello's greatness as a more grownup singer/songwriter, culminating with "Brutal Youth" in 1994, one of his best ever albums.

just because you have 64 tracks at your disposal doesn't mean you should use ALL of them...

Sometimes you should. Mitchell Froom is a genius, although he did an even better job on "Brutal Youth" ("London's Brilliant" parade - particularly the "bridge verse" in the middle - being his best ever moment as a producer)

or that the end result won't sound claustrophobically muddy.

Not if you use panning in a creative way, no. And Mitchell Froom does (as opposed to Owen Morris - "Be Here Now" sounds a lot more like your description of a "muddy" overproduced album)

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 18 May 2007 13:15 (nineteen years ago)

"Space Oddity" is obviously not David Bowie's worst album (I'll rank it ahead of most of his stuff from the mid 80s onwards), but the Tin Machine albums and "Never Let Me Down" are worse than "Tonight", that I agree with.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 18 May 2007 13:17 (nineteen years ago)

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